3 Simple Steps to Managing Difficult Children

Managing Difficult Children.

Tips from The Nanny Boutique to help you keep your cool and sanity at the same time.

 

Here in the Triangle, our nannies and babysitters have seen it all.  At The Nanny Boutique, our expertise ranges from potty training issues to working with special needs children to tutoring sessions to any number of other common obstacles that many children face in their everyday lives.  Though, more often than not, our nannies and babysitters get to spend time with children who genuinely warm our hearts and are a pleasure to care for.  Yet, every now and then we come across that one child who is as sweet as can possibly be… until the moment the door clicks right behind mommy and daddy!
So what precautions should babysitters and nannies take when they have a child refusing to do homework, throwing a tantrum on the floor, or screaming and calling you any name they believe will get under your skin the most?  From our team here at The Nanny Boutique, here are some very simple measures that you can follow to help you prevent a major disaster from happening.

1. Take a Deep Breath.  This seems a hard thing to do in the heat of the moment, but by keeping your cool, you prove to not only the child, but to yourself that you are in control of the situation.  If the child knows that they can get a reaction out of you by acting in a certain manner, then they are more likely to repeat the behavior in the future.

2. Remember why you are there.  Your number one priority as a nanny and caregiver is to ensure the safety of the children you care for.  As long as the child is not causing harm to themselves, to you, or to others then there is no need to have cause for alarm.  It is not the nannies job to discipline or to scold children, but rather to be there to provide care and safety in the absence of parents.

3. Talk to the Parents.  If this is becoming an everyday problem and if you have already tried talking with the child directly, then it is time to consult mom and dad with your concerns.  Together the parents and the nanny can come up with ideas as to why the behavior is happening and what they can do to prevent it in the future.

If all measures have been taken and the problems are still occurring, then it may possibly be time to move on to another family.  If the parents are not willing to work with the child on the behavior issues, or worse, if they feel that there are no issues to begin with, then the nanny shouldn’t stay in any situation that affects her personal work performance.  If a nanny or babysitter is unhappy in an environment that is unlikely to change, then it is very likely that she will not be able to fulfill her role completely as a provider and caregiver.

The Nanny Boutique is a nanny and babysitting agency that specializes in placing caregivers or babysitters and nannies in the Raleigh, Durham, Cary, and Chapel Hill areas.

This entry was posted on Monday, February 4th, 2013 at 4:59 pm and is filed under Raleigh Nanny & Babysitting Blog, Uncategorized. You can follow any responses to this entry through the RSS 2.0 feed. Both comments and pings are currently closed.